SEOUL: At least five people were killed after their helicopter crashed in the eastern coastal county of Yangyang in South Korea’s Gangwon Province on Sunday.
According to Yonhap News Agency reported, fire officials said the helicopter, which crashed at around 10:50 a.m. local time, smashed into pieces and burst into flames, but the fire is unlikely to spread, as it has mostly been put out.
Five passengers, including captain A (71) and B (54), were killed in the accident. Mr. B is checking whether he is a first officer or a mechanic.
The crashed model was an S-58T helicopter, and Sokcho City rented it from September 18 to December 30 for autumn forest fire prevention and extinguishing activities.
Eye witnesses said as the helicopter crashed, an explosion and fire broke out, leading to a forest fire that was extinguished at 11:20 am local time. Officials said authorities planned to investigate the exact cause of the crash by moving the aircraft while recovering the body.
Identification of the victims is underway.
